


A very Gallagher perspective

by PrettyCalypso



Series: The Chronicles of Ian & Kira [11]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: AU, Bullying, Daddy Ian, Daddy Mickey, F/M, M/M, cheating (not Ian or Mickey), family life, mentions of pregnancy complications, mentions of the loss of a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7601239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyCalypso/pseuds/PrettyCalypso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A take on Ian & Mickey's relationship and family life through the eyes of the Gallagher siblings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fiona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is taking place during the first chapter of "She is my daughter".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I messed up Fiona's kids ages at some point, so sorry for that but I'm too lazy to correct it, it's not like it's super important anyway...

 

Fiona flattened her silver dress over her belly and her hips. Wesley was almost two years old, but she still hadn't lost all of her pregnancy weight just yet. She tied her long brown hair in a somewhat sophisticated bun over her head, and put her fake diamond flower earrings on. She opened her make-up box. She hadn't used that thing in months. She applied concealer on her face, trying to hide the dark circles under her eyes, and her first wrinkles in the corner of her mouth and on her forehead. She knew she looked exhausted. She had been less tired when forced to take care of her four younger siblings at sixteen years old, than now, in her thirties and taking care of her two children she had chosen to have. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that, back in the days, Lip and Ian had always been there to help her, but that these past few months – hell, these past few years – she had been a single parent as her husband was always off somewhere playing music, going on tour, or whatever the fuck he was doing. But Fiona had chosen to marry him. Twice. She had fucked up a lot in her life, but when she had met Gus, things had been obvious. Until she fucked up again, and had decided to fight, teeth and nails, to earn his trust again. Now though, she some days regretted it, sometimes she imagined what her life could have been if she had just let their first marriage go down the toilet. Sure, she had her kids now, and she loved them, but she also wished she had a husband, because Gus was a lot of things – a great musician, a good man, an amazing father (when he was around) – but he wasn't a husband, not anymore.

 

Fiona put some mascara on her eyelashes and light gloss on her lips. She forced herself to smile at her reflection in the mirror. She was still pretty, no doubt about that, but her youth was far gone. She took a deep breath and exited her bedroom. She found Jenny in the living room clipping her pink barrettes in her brother's short hair.

 

“What are you doing?” Fiona sighed.

 

“Making Wes pretty.” Jenny answered with a smile.

 

Fiona sighed again and waved her daughter away. The little girl was wearing one of Kira's old dresses, a dress she had absolutely refused to take off for the past week.

 

“Jenny, please go change. You have a brand new dress waiting for you on your bed.”

 

“Nooo.” the girl whined. “I love this dress!”

 

“I know sweetie, but it's dirty and old, Uncle Ian and Uncle Mickey won't be happy. So can you please wear the dress we chose together? Remember? You liked the purple color and the butterflies on it.”

 

“Buuuut...”

 

“Jenny. Stop being a baby and go wear that dress or you're not going to the wedding and I let you all day with Mrs Kester. You know, the old and scary Mrs Kester who lives next door...”

 

The little girl opened her big brown eyes wide and ran to her bedroom. The fear of Mrs Kester always worked. The woman was nice, and a cheap babysitter, but she was very old and kinda looked like a scary witch, all the kids in the neighborhood avoided her at all cost – especially around Halloween.

 

Fiona picked up her son, and started to take all the barrettes from his hair. Only two years and he already looked so much like his father... That thought only made the woman sigh again. She really needed to pull herself together. Today was a happy day, her little brother was getting married, it was not the time for her lamentations. She stored the barrettes on the mantelpiece of the fireplace, and kissed her son's cheek.

 

“Jenny?” she called above her shoulder. “You're ready? We need to go if we don't wanna be late!”

 

********

 

As she stood next to Lip near the altar, Fiona tried her best to hold her tears in. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Mandy, in her own silver dress – matching Fiona's, Debbie's and Svetlana's – wipe her eyes and smear some mascara on her skin. It was the third time one of her siblings was getting married, and Fiona still wasn't ready for it. She had been the first one to tie the knot – thank god! - but, weirdly, Carl had been the first one to follow, marrying his high school sweetheart as soon as they were old enough. Then came Lip – even weirder! – who finally settled down with the strong and bossy lawyer that was Nina. The woman was adorable though, under her tough exterior, but Fiona was pretty sure she had once overheard Lip and Ian fight over what looked like Lip's infidelities to Nina – which wasn't surprising in itself, but still, Fiona liked Nina, and she hoped Lip wouldn't fuck it up, so thatthe woman could stick around a little longer.

 

And here was her third sibling getting married... Her baby pumpkin face, her little Ian. Fiona felt a tear rolled on her cheek when Mickey started to swear his undying and forever love for the redhead. She knew her make-up would be a mess very soon. She wanted to check on Debbie, standing a few feet behind her, but she couldn't turn around without risking to advert the attention on herself, and she didn't want that, it wasn't her moment – and Debbie was probably fine, worst case scenario she was just crying twice as much as Fiona. So she looked at the grooms. They seemed happy, and so sure of themselves. Fiona had never been sure, not even on her wedding day. Okay, maybe the first time she married Gus, she had been sure of herself in the moment. But how lucid can you be when you run to the courthouse after three days of booze, sex and binge-watching of E.R.? And the first few months of their marriage had proven her just that, just how crazy it had been for them to get married so quickly. And after that, Fiona had never been sure again of their relationship. She loved Gus, and she had been happy for a while, but she had never stopped having doubts. Ian and Mickey didn't seem to have doubts, it was so obvious that this was where they were supposed to be, exchanging vows at the altar, promising each other eternal love.

 

********

 

“You okay?”

 

Fiona raised her head from her plate to meet her brother's worried eyes. She took his hand in hers and smiled.

 

“What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to dance with your husband or something?”

 

Ian looked back at the dance floor and nodded his head toward Mickey dancing with Kira in a very silly way.

 

“I think he's entertained.”

 

Fiona grinned brighter, and ran her thumb over Ian's fingers. Her gaze dropped on the silver ring he was now wearing.

 

“Do you ever fight with Mickey?” she asked in a small voice.

 

“Yes, of course.” Ian answered gently. “What couple doesn't?”

 

“We don't.” Fiona confessed. “You know, it's kinda hard to fight when you don't talk to your spouse.”

 

Ian stayed silent and squeezed his sister's hand.

 

“Sometimes he writes songs though.” the woman continued. “It's never explicit, but I know what it means when he comes back home with a violent new song. One of the things I liked the most about him was that he's a nice guy, but it also means he'll express his feelings with passive-aggressive bullshit, and I hate that.”

 

“Passive-aggressive is not a problem I have with Mickey.” Ian admitted. “We fight, we scream, and then we make up – and it's usually the best part.”

 

He tried to hide his little smile at the thought, but Fiona saw it, and she returned it.

 

“That I can believe.”

 

She knew this kind of relationship, she had had this kind of relationship and, today especially, she really missed it. Frontal confrontation when there was a problem, and ending the fight in bed, that was easy, she knew how to handle that. But, even after all these years, she still didn't know how to handle her husband's way of avoiding conflicts.

 

********

 

Wesley had already been sleeping for several hours when they came back home, and Jenny fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Fiona spent a little time in each of her kids' bedrooms and looked at them sleep for a while. Then she went downstairs, and fished her phone out of the mess that was her purse. She scrolled through the numbers, finding the one she was looking for pretty easily, and pushed the call button. The answer came after the second ring.

 

“Hey. What's going on? Are the kids okay?”

 

“Yes.” Fiona sighed – of course it would be the first thing her husband worried about. “They're fine. It just that... It wasIan's wedding today.”

 

“Oh yeah right.” Gus said, already sounding disinterested in the conversation. “Sorry I couldn't be there, we really needed to record this thing today.”

 

Fiona sat on the couch.

 

“Yeah sure.When are we coming home?”

 

“Tonight. Late probably.”

 

“It's already 1am.”

 

“Sorry. I'll be there as soon as I can.”

 

Fiona sighed again. She ran a hand over her exhausted face.

 

“Okay.” she just said, before realizing she couldn't stop the conversation like that, not anymore, she was tired of it. “I think we need to talk.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just a one-chapter thing, I won't write anymore about Fiona's life, I'll just mention it briefly in my other installments like I did until now. So you're free to imagine whatever you want for what happened after this phone call, it's your choice.
> 
> Just for the little anecdote: Mickey's “best woman” is Mandy, and Svetlana is a “groomsmaid”. Ian's best man is Lip, and Fiona and Debbie are “groomsmaids”. Carl is officiating (I just LOVE this idea ^_^). Liam is only 16, so he's not old enough to be officially in the wedding party, but he's like a “junior groomsman” though and still stands near them, doing absolutely nothing, because let's be serious, it's Liam's role, right? Yevgeny is the ring bearer, and Kira the flower girl. Oh and Ian and Mickey walked down the aisle together, hand in hand, romantically.
> 
> Next stop: Lip.


	2. Lip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter is taking place before "A crush on a Milkovich" ; and the second part is taking place after the chapter "Christmas" of the "Holiday Special".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight piece of information (even if it might be obvious): growing up the Gallaghers and Milkoviches never interacted, therefore Lip never dated Mandy in this universe.

 

Lip Gallagher loved Nina Marshall. The woman was tough, and fierce and crazy amazing. He had met her in a low point in his life, finding himself in jail for whatever new fit of anger had taken over him, and she, as a young lawyer who had just finished law school, had been his court-appointed attorney. Maybe he had issues, but Lip had always been attracted by women with power, women who could crush him under their shoe, and Nina had been just that. As his lawyer, she hadn't taken any of his shit, and she had gotten him out of jail amazingly fast for a newbie in the field. But the real challenge was when she had constantly refused to go out with him for the three months that had followed their first meeting. Until she had yes, on her terms, with her conditions, and Lip was whipped.

 

Nina softened as their relationship moved forward, but she never lost her strength. The real change in her personality came when she got pregnant. She became all about maternity and nothing else for seven months, and Lip snapped. He had promised this woman fidelity, but when she became more interested in their future baby than in him, he wasn't able to handle it. He found another woman, a sidepiece who could fulfill his physical needs. He wasn't proud of it, but he still went back to this other woman, and it felt good.

 

“Why are you always doing this?” Ian yelled after Lip had confessed to him. “You always go for a woman who will inevitably shit on you, or you find a nice woman and you shit on her. What the fuck is your problem?”

 

“I have a problem?” Lip shout back. “I'm not the single dad raising a kid alone when her mother is in fucking jail!”

 

He knew it was a low blow, Kira was Ian's soft spot, but Lip was pissed at his brother for rejecting the fault of all his failed relationships on him and him alone. And he also had never really understood why Ian had decided, at only 19, to raise alone the baby he had had with this Riley girl – and he was about 50% sure his gay brother wasn't really the father.

 

“Kira is my daughter and I love her! Something you obviously can't understand if you go fucking other women when your own kid is on the way!”

 

“Fuck you! You don't know how tough it is for me with Nina right now!”

 

“What I know is how tough it's gonna be for her when she'll end up raising your kid alone because you can't handle responsibilities!”

 

Lip was about to scream again, and maybe even punch his brother, when the kitchen door opened and Fiona stepped outside.

 

“Dinner is served guys.”

 

Lip nodded and threw the butt of his cigarette away. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Ian shake his head, and the two men took the few steps leading them back to the house. Fiona stopped them just before they entered the kitchen.

 

“I know that, as Gallaghers, we have a tendency to ruin Thanksgiving, but can you please stop fighting for today?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Lip agreed, stepping in the house, and still pissed.

 

The table was set in the living room and surrounded by fifteen chairs. Lip sat between Nina and her large belly, and Carl. Ian sat on the other side of the table, facing Lip, between Liam and Kira. The tension was still obvious between the two brothers. Lip loved Ian and they were usually very close, but it wasn't unusual for them to fight over the choices they made in their life, especially in their love life. Lip never approved of Riley – and her bad influence on Ian – and Ian never approved of any of Lip's girlfriends – except for the girlfriends Lip never really cared for. They never had the same vision of love. Ian was a romantic, he believed in fairy tales and happily ever after. Lip was more practical, they grew up in South Side, he believed in ghetto love, in sex and passion and seizing the moment. And yes, he loved Nina, but there was no such thing as love forever and ever, not in his book anyway.

 

Lip took the plate Carl was handing him, and helped himself with some mash potatoes, before passing it over to Nina. The woman smiled softly at him, and ran a hand over his thigh. She really had a beautiful smile. And Lip suddenly felt awfully guilty.

 

********

 

“I think you're right, I'm an asshole.”

 

“No you're not.” Ian sighed, and brought the bottle of beer to his lips. “You're gonna be a father, you're scared, I get it.”

 

“Still not a reason to cheat on my wife.”

 

Lip took a deep breath and leaned his head against the back of the couch. After Thanksgiving dinner at Fiona's, he had driven Nina home, and had gone to Ian's to apologize and let off some steam. Now the two brothers were slouched on the couch, drinking beers, and talking like they used to growing up.

 

“Cheating on Nina was a dick move, I'll give you that.” Ian admitted.

 

“Did you freak out too before having Kira?”

 

Ian tilted his head and pressed the tip of his bottle against his chin.

 

“Not really no.” he said after a moment of thinking. “I've always known I've made the right choice. I was young and it was complicated, but I love Kira so much, I can't imagine my life without her.”

 

Lip nodded.

 

“I know I'm gonna love this baby. It's just... I love my life with Nina, I love our couple, and I know it's gonna go up in flames when the baby will be here. It's already starting! We haven't had sex since... I don't even remember! And she can't even stand me touching her, she's all about the baby, it's like I don't exist anymore. And I need attention too you know.”

 

Ian shook his head and sighed loudly.

 

“You're such an idiot Lip...”

 

“What?”

 

“Just... I don't know, watch porn, take care of yourself, but don't go see another woman! Did you even try to talk to your wife? Does she know how you feel? And do you know how _she_ feels?”

 

Lip tried to think about it. No, he actually hadn't talk to Nina, not really anyway, he had just assumed they were more or less in the same boat – meaning Nina's disinterest allowing Lip to go satiate his sexual desires somewhere else.

 

“Maybe I should go talk to her...”

 

“Yeah, maybe you should.”

 

Lip finished his beer, and opened another one.

 

“When did you become so in touch with your feelings, and talking about it?” he asked, turning to his brother.

 

Ian shrugged.

 

“I've always been like that. Just never really had anyone willing to listen.”

 

Lip nodded his head, not really paying attention to his brother anymore and already trying to prepare what he would say to Nina.

 

“Can I stay here tonight?” he asked after a couple more beers. “I don't think it's a good idea for me to go home with so much beer in me.”

 

“Yeah sure.” Ian sighed. “I'll set up the guest bedroom for you.”

 

********

 

It became a thing, Lip showed up at Ian's some nights, and the two men spent a good few hours on the couch talking about their lives and relationships, and drinking beers. Things were better between Lip and Nina, they managed to find a balance – or rather Lip found his place in their little family – and Ian met Mickey. They talked about that a lot, even though there wasn't much to tell, except for Ian being overly excited by this new relationship, and absolutely a hundred percent in love with this guy. And Lip often slept in the guest bedroom of Ian's house, because if there was one thing he was still not ready to face, that was Nina's reaction to him drunk.

 

********

 

Ian opened the door on the third knock.

 

“Hey, can we talk?” Lip asked immediately. “I think I messed up.”

 

The redhead looked behind himself, and then back at his brother.

 

“No, sorry, not tonight.”

 

“Can I at least come in and crash in your guest bedroom?”

 

Ian shook his head.

 

“No, you can't. And, actually, you won't be able to do that anymore, because it's Yevgeny's room now. Mickey just moved in, today. We just finished unpacking his stuff actually. You can stay for a beer if you want, but I'll have to kick you out after that.”

 

Lip nodded slowly. Mickey had just moved in. Ian looked so happy, but Lip's safe space where he could still sort of pretend he was single, where he could sleep alone for a night, was no more. Ian had his own family now, he wouldn't be able to spend an entire night with Lip anymore. True, lately they had done that less and less, but still, on the few nights they spent talking, Lip had felt like a careless teenager getting drunk with his brother, and not like a busy dad avoiding his responsibilities. But that was what he actually was, wasn't it? A Frank. Drowning his fatherly duties in alcohol, and avoiding his life and family whenever he could.

 

“You okay?” Ian's voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Lip nodded, not believing in his own answer. “I'm gonna... I'm gonna go back home.”

 

********

 

Lip entered the house slowly, and tried to cross the living room discreetly, avoiding the best he could the loose and noisy floorboards. But the light was suddenly turned on, and Nina was looking at him from where she sat on the loveseat, a real cliché, exactly like in the movies.

 

“Where were you?” she asked calmly.

 

“At Ian's.”

 

“Oh.”

 

She looked almost disappointed.

 

“I thought you might be with... What's her name again? Shelby?”

 

Lip tried not to gawk. He went to sit on the couch, facing his wife.

 

“You know about Shelby?”

 

“Of course I do.” Nina said, still very calm. “And I knew about Vanessa too. Although, I did get it back then, I was pregnant, I didn't want you touching me... I'm not trying to give you an excuse for cheating on me, it was shitty, but there were extenuating circumstances. Now however, I don't really get why. I am absolutely certain you didn't see anyone else between Sebastian's birth and two weeks ago. So why? Why Vanessa? Why now?”

 

Lip took a deep breath. He didn't have an answer. He could have said it was because the five-year anniversary mark was scaring him, or because he was just a piece of shit husband like his father, or because Nina was too good for him, but none of it sounded good enough.

 

“I don't know.” he simply said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It felt right to end this Lip-chapter here. It works the same way than for the Fiona-chapter: I won't keep this story going. But full disclosure: Lip and Nina stay together, because I love them together and I know they can make it work. Don't know how, but they can and they will. :)


	3. Debbie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is happening during the hardest parts of “Baby Blues”.

 

Debbie ran her eyes down her notepad. It was her first day back after an extended maternity leave, and she was torn apart. On one hand, she was happy to be back for all the kids who needed her, but on the other she was terribly missing her own baby girl.

 

“Dr Gallagher, could you go check on Ruth? Her blood pressure is worrying me.”

 

Debbie nodded to the nurse, and added Ruth to the list of patients she had to see today. She walked through the hallways of the hospital, slowly sipping her second cup of coffee of the day, and stopped when she saw a familiar strand of red hair.

 

“Hey, Ian!”

 

Her brother was sitting on a chair, alone, in front the closed door of a patient room. He raised his head when he heard Debbie call him, and smiled weakly when she sat near him.

 

“You okay? What you're doing here?”

 

“Checking on Svetlana.” Ian answered, nodding his chin toward the close door, and Debbie remembered Svetlana was on bed rest at the hospital these days, after they had lost one of the babies.

 

“Is she okay?”

 

“I don't know." Ian whispered. "I'm waiting for Mickey. I can't... I can't go in there alone. I... I need him Debs.”

 

Debbie squeezed her brother's hand.

 

“I'm sure he'll be here soon.”

 

“I don't know.” Ian confessed, his voice low, and on the verge of tears. “He's not really _there_ these days. He's avoiding talking about the baby, or just... talking. He's just drinking, working, sleeping, and that's it. I need my partner Debs. I can't...”

 

Debbie saw the first tears roll on her brother's cheek, and she hugged him, she hugged him as tight as she could. She was a freaking doctor, she had been taught to talk to patients and their close ones, even during the worst situations possible, but here it was Ian, her brother, and it was absolutely killing her that there was nothing she could do to help him, to ease his pain, to bring his baby back.

 

“I can't do this without him.” Ian repeated.

 

“I know, I'm sorry.”

 

_I'm so sorry. It's not my fault, or even my area of expertise, but I'm so fucking sorry, I don't want you to go through any of that, you don't deserve it._

 

They stayed in this position a few more minutes, Ian silently crying, and Debbie hugging him as best as she could. And finally Mickey arrived, he looked tired and angry at the entire world, but his expression softened when he saw his husband's puffy eyes and rosy cheeks.

 

“Hey, you okay?”

 

Ian straightened up in his chair, and wiped his eyes.

 

“I'm fine. Let's go see Lana.”

 

Mickey nodded, and Ian stood up. Debbie caught her brother's hand just before he walked in the room, and gave him another, shorter, hug.

 

“Call me if you want to talk, okay?”

 

She felt him nod against her hair, and she let him go.

 

********

 

That night when she came back home, Debbie took her daughter in her arms and held her as long as she possibly could. She knew she was being selfish, but she felt so lucky to have her baby right there with her when Ian and Mickey had lost one and could still loose the other. She breathed in Madelyn's smell, her cute baby smell, and pecked her face with kisses.

 

“I love you so much.” she muttered. “And I missed you today. I missed you so, so much.”

 

The baby giggled, and Debbie kissed her again, and again. She had took almost a year of maternity leave, but she realized in that moment that she still wasn't ready to go back to work. She had suffered from separation anxiety during the entire day, and her encounter with Ian hadn't help _at all_. She had kept herself from running back home and protect her daughter at all costs. She couldn't leave her again, she needed to be here to protect her daughter. Life was so cruel, and Maddie was so defenseless...

 

********

 

Debbie took a deep breath. Madelyn was okay. Third phone call of the day, and the nanny had confirmed it: Maddie was still okay. She put her phone back in her locker, and went to check on the list of patients that needed her today. One of the names made her smile, and she decided this kid would be her priority today, as unfair as it sounded, she needed to make sure this particular kid was healthy.

 

She entered the nursery slowly.

 

“Hey there. I'm here for a little check-up.”

 

“Hey Debs.” Ian smiled from where he was sitting, his newborn baby safely wrapped in his arms.

 

There was only one other baby in the room, already taken care of by a nurse. Debbie greeted her with a quick nod, and walked to her brother. According to her chart, her little niece was born about an hour ago and moved to the nursery so that Svetlana could sleep peacefully in the recovery room.

 

“Am I the first Gallagher to meet our little niece?” Debbie asked, trying to stay professional, but really just excited at the idea.

 

“Yes, you are.” Ian grinned, turning his baby so that she could face Debbie. “This is Elena.”

 

“Oh my god, she's so gorgeous!” Debbie cooed. “I wouldn't say she's the most beautiful baby in the world, because mine obviously is, but she's a close second.”

 

Ian laughed, and Debbie finally took the little girl in her arms to put her back in the bassinet and start the check-up.

 

“Where's Mickey?” she asked after the first minute of Ian hovering over her.

 

“He went to get us coffees and snacks.” her brother answered, standing way too close.

 

Debbie shooed him away with one hand, and pointed at the chair he had previously been sitting on.

 

“Sit.” she ordered. “I can't work with you flying around me like that.”

 

Ian obeyed in silence, but kept his head twisted so that he could still watch his daughter. Mickey came back in the room just as the nurse walked over to help Debbie in her task. The doctor was fast to react, and pointed at the other chair near Ian.

 

“You too, sit.” she said to Mickey, who didn't even try to argue and sat next to his husband, handing him a cup of coffee.

 

The two men stayed silent for the rest of the intervention, while Debbie checked Elena's temperature, her glucose level, and her entire body, making sure everything was fine. Once the check-up was done, she watched the two fathers fighting over who would get to hold the baby next.

 

“Oh come on!” Debbie exclaimed, feeling like a kindergarten teacher. “It's like you're arguing over a doll and who gets to play with it next!”

 

She handed Elena to Mickey.

 

“Here. Ian had her when I came in, it's your turn now.”

 

She shook her head, and started to walk out of the room. _Those boys..._

 

“I'll come back later today, see if she's ready for you to take her home.”

 

She closed the door of the nursery and smiled. Yes, maybe she missed her daughter every single minute of the day, but she still loved her job.

 


	4. Carl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is taking place near the end of "Rebellion".

 

Carl was almost done with his shift, ready to go home for the night, when his radio informed him someone only a block away had called in for vandalism of their house. Carl sighed, finished his coffee, and drove to where he was needed. He arrived just a few seconds after one of his colleagues, and was about to let him handle the case – they didn't need two cops for a kid egging some guy's house – when he recognized the jet black hair and the determined look on this kid's face.

 

“Fuck.” Carl breathed, running a hand over his face, before walking to his colleague. “Hey Jackson, you can go, I'll handle it. I know this kid.”

 

“You sure Gallagher?”

 

“Yeah.” he dropped his voice so that the owner of the house couldn't hear him, and added just for his colleague: “It's my nephew.”

 

Jackson nodded and stepped away, leaving Carl to deal with the situation. The Gallagher grabbed his nephew by the arm to keep him from running away. He asked the guy who had made the call a few questions, looked at the house, the usual, and he turned to the owner of the house one last time.

 

“Okay Sir, I'm taking the kid. If you want to file a claim please drop by the station first thing tomorrow, I'll have the report ready.”

 

The guy thanked him, and Carl took his nephew to his car, letting him sit on the passenger seat instead of the back.

 

“I'll drive you home.”

 

Yevgeny nodded, trying to look innocent and sheepish.

 

“Thanks.” he muttered.

 

Carl looked back at the road and shook his head.

 

“Why did you do that?”

 

The teenager shrugged.

 

“It's the third time I pick you up in two weeks Yev. What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you want to go to juvie? I've been there, believe me, it's no fun.”

 

“My dad's been in juvie too – several times – and you both ended up okay.”

 

“Yeah, true, because we decided to change our behavior. I don't see that happening with you.”

 

“I'm a Milkovich. I want to live up to the name!”

 

The red light turned green and Carl took a left turn. He waited to be in the new lane before turning his head slightly to his nephew.

 

“Do you even know what that means?”

 

Yevgeny kept his eyes fixed on his laps, and Carl looked back at the road.

 

“I didn't really know the Milkoviches back in the days,” he continued. “But from what I heard, there was nothing to live up to. Your father and your aunt were smart enough to get out of there, you shouldn't want to go back in.”

 

“At least they were respected.”

 

“No, they were feared, there's a difference. I learned it myself the hard way, and I really hope you'll never have to live the same shit I did. Your parents, and us Gallaghers, we fought really hard to get where we are today, and you were lucky enough to be born and raised directly in that good place, all you have to do is get good grades in school, go to college, and make a good life for yourself. Your parents did their very best to get you where you are, don't fuck it up kid.”

 

From the corner of his eyes, Carl saw Yevgeny shrug vaguely again. The man sighed again as he looked at the dark streets in front of him. He meant everything he had said to Yevgeny, they were all in a good place now, they didn't need the teenage rebellion of a baby thug to fuck it all up, all they had all worked for. There had been a time when Carl had thought he could rule the streets, and he had fallen hard when he realized that it implied seeing people get killed, and hurt for no reason other than a selfish power play. So he had done his best to rule the streets, but the other way around, from the justice side of things, making them safe again. And he hadn't chose this path to pick his nephew up every third night.

 

He parked his car in front of the house he started to know too well, and Yevgeny got out reluctantly. Carl followed him out and knocked on the door. Mickey answered almost immediately, the faint sound on the TV behind him informing Carl of his recent activity.

 

“Again?” the black-haired man growled when he saw that Carl in his uniform was accompanying his son. “Shit Yevgeny, what the hell is wrong with you?”

 

The teenage boy shrugged for the umpteenth time of the night and headed straight for his bedroom.

 

“Thanks.” Mickey said lowly to Carl. “What was he doing this time?”

 

“Egging some guy's house. I picked him up too many times this past two weeks Mickey.”

 

The black-haired man shook his head.

 

“I know. He's trying to find a kid from school who's been a dick to Kira.” Mickey explained. “The girl's smart, she doesn't want to give up the name for that exact reason, but maybe she should, because in the meantime Yevgeny is going after all the guys in their school who could be him.”

 

“I tried to tell him he doesn't want to end up in juvie,” Carl added. “But he doesn't really want to hear it.”

 

“He's a good kid, I'm sure he'll calm down once he'll be over this whole story.”

 

Carl nodded. He wanted to believe Mickey, he wanted to believe that Yevgeny would be okay, but he had seen too many kids ending badly in his several years of service, that he wasn't an optimistic guy anymore. He let it go this time though, because they were family, and he trusted Mickey, he trusted that the kid was well taken care of at home, that it was just a phase.

 

“You want something to drink?” Mickey asked. “Coffee, or a beer?”

 

“No thanks,” Carl shook his head. “My shift's over, I'm gonna go home to my wife and kids.”

 

“Thank you again.”

 

“No problem. See you at Fiona's on Sunday.”

 


	5. Liam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first part of this chapter takes place several years before "A crush on a Milkovich", and the second part takes place after "Love's a bitch".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter, and I'm sorry it took me so long to write it, but I think it's probably my favorite from this installment. :)

 

Liam learned that his niece was tough as hell when he was ten years old. Ian had took them both to the park, Kira and him, and they played for a while on the slides, until a little group of twelve-thirteen years old had pushed Liam down. The little boy had looked around for his brother, but Ian was on the other side of the playground and couldn't really see them from there. One of the mean boys started to laugh then, calling Liam a pussy, a coward, a stupid little baby messed up in the head because of cocaine. And Liam wanted to cry, he knew none of these things were true, but he still wanted to cry, and he tried his best to hold his tears in, he couldn't let these boys win.

 

“You're mean!” a little voice suddenly called from behind them.

 

The boys turned around to meet the fiercest four-year-old girl ever, her eyes shining with the determination to make things right.

 

“You're stupid!” she added. “Liam is not stupid, you're stupid! And you're mean! Mean, mean boys!”

 

The boys laughed, but Kira didn't even shiver.

 

“You need a girl to defend you Little Coke Baby?” the leader of the boys sneered, and Kira kicked him in the shin.

 

“He's not a Coke Baby!” she screamed.

 

“Do you even know what coke is?” another boy asked her, taking a threatening step toward her.

 

Kira shook her head.

 

“No.” she answered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “But I know you can't hit a girl.”

 

The boys exchanged a look, and the leader shrugged. He ignored Kira and kicked Liam. Kira smirked, took a deep breath, and...

 

“DADDYYYYYY!!!”

 

Her voice resonated through the playground and Ian was next to her in seconds.

 

“What's going on here?”

 

“The mean boys are being mean to Liam.” Kira explained, and the group of boys ran away as fast as possible.

 

********

 

Fourteen years later, and Liam knew it was his turn to protect Kira – even though he wasn't really sure she needed protection. He knocked on the door of his brother's house and waited for his niece to open the door. He knew Yevgeny was at his mother, Ian at work, and Mickey at a doctor's appointment with Ellie. Kira let her uncle in with a smile.

 

“Hey. What's up?”

 

“Not much.” Liam shrugged.

 

But Kira wasn't fooled by his detached tone. She looked at him with her piercing eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

 

“Okay.” Liam sighed. “Your dad asked me to talk to you.”

 

“It's about Teddy, isn't it?”

 

Liam nodded. Yes, Ian didn't want his baby girl who freshly turned 18 to date a 24-year-old guy. And even though Teddy was Liam's best friend, and a pretty decent dude, Liam had to admit that the idea of his little niece dating him was... kind of unsettling.

 

“Your father doesn't think it's a good idea for you to see Teddy right now.”

 

Kira nodded her head silently and smiled.

 

“And what do _you_ think?”

 

“He's too old for you.”

 

“He's only 24, it's not like he's 37 and married. He's barely out of college.”

 

“Yeah, but he's still six years older than you.”

 

“If I was 10, that would be a problem. But I'm not. I'm 18 Liam, I can do whatever I want.”

 

Kira held her uncle's stare for a beat. She wasn't backing down, she was still the fierce and determinate little girl who wasn't afraid to face a group of older boys on the playground. Liam sighed loudly.

 

“Look, Ian asked me to talk to you, so I did. But Teddy is my best friend, and he's a great guy, I know he won't hurt you. So if you dad ask, I tried to make you change your mind, okay?”

 

Kira smiled wider.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Liam nodded. He would probably regret this if Ian ever learned how poorly he had handled the task, but he trusted Kira, she could take care of herself just fine.

 

“You wanna take advantage of Yev's X-Box while he's away?” she asked. “I bet I could beat you at any game you choose!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and/or comments. And you can also send me prompts here, or on my [tumblr](http://ilostmylifeonline.tumblr.com/), and I'll write them... sooner or later. ;)


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